Check whether an IMEI is blacklisted, reported lost or stolen, or blocked by GSMA. Carrier-level and worldwide reports before you buy a used phone.
A blacklisted IMEI is blocked from connecting to mobile networks in the countries that share the list. For a buyer the practical consequence is simple: the phone works on Wi-Fi and nothing else, and no unlock service will fix it. Blacklists are per carrier and per country, and GSMA maintains the worldwide register that operators query — so a device can be clean on Verizon and reported on GSMA at the same time.
The checks below read those registers directly. Where a carrier publishes a status (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket, Xfinity, Spectrum, Claro, Telcel and others) the report returns the exact wording the carrier uses — clean, blacklisted, lost, stolen, unpaid, financed, or "IMEI not found". Where only GSMA data is available, the report returns the worldwide register state. Both are far cheaper than discovering the block after payment.
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Result Description
Sample fields returned by a GSMA blacklist report.
A blacklisted IMEI is refused by mobile networks that share the register, so the handset loses cellular service entirely — no calls, no SMS, no mobile data. Wi-Fi still works, which is why a blacklisted phone can look perfectly functional in a shop. In most countries the block follows the IMEI, not the SIM, so swapping SIM cards does not help.
No. GSMA is the worldwide register that operators query; each carrier also keeps its own record. A device can be clean at GSMA and still be blocked by the carrier that financed it, and the reverse also happens when an operator reports locally without pushing the record to GSMA. Check both when the amount of money matters.
Only the operator that filed the report can remove it — normally after the original owner pays the outstanding balance or the theft report is withdrawn. Third-party "blacklist removal" services that claim otherwise are usually submitting an unlock request and calling it a clean. If a seller offers to "clean" an IMEI after the sale, treat it as a red flag.
Run the check before paying, and keep the report: it is timestamped evidence that the device was already reported when you received it, which is what marketplaces and payment disputes ask for. The report can be re-downloaded from your order history.
It is as accurate as the register you query at that moment. A device reported an hour ago may not have propagated to every operator yet, and a device cleared yesterday can still show as blocked for a few hours. For high-value purchases, re-run the check on the day you pay.
Last updated 2026-10-28. Prices and coverage are read from the live catalogue; if a service is withdrawn it disappears from this page and its own URL returns a notice.